Innovation Manager - Fruit (FTC) in Blagdon

At Yeo Valley, we’ve been making delicious, organic dairy products for over 50 years. As a family-run business, we believe in doing things the right way – sustainably, ethically, and with people at the heart of what we do.

Under the direction of the Senior Innovation Manager, the Innovation Manager will lead & manage, with the support of a Senior Development Technologist, the creation and development of insight led new and existing products in the yogurt, ice cream, and desserts categories for specific accounts. This individual will collaborate and lead with cross functional teams to deliver cutting-edge, high-quality product concepts that are aligned with customer and business priorities. This role is critical in shaping the future of the Yeo Valley Product Portfolio.

• Nominated Lead Yeo Valley Innovation Development contact for all internal and external projects associated with allocated account customer for yogurt/dessert/ice cream.
• To manage specific NPD projects from kitchen concept to Gate 3 approval (kitchen vs factory), ensuring the relevant stakeholders are involved at the right stage and aligned, and the business has clear visibility on the NPD agenda for each customer and the state of play on current projects.
• Coordination and management of critical paths aligned with stakeholders’ key dates and stages. Ability to identify, solve and communicate problems and resolutions internally and externally. Understanding the broader impacts across the department.
• Liaise closely with Insight Manager to provide expertise in food and eating trends and recipe formulation through insight led NPD, food safaris and trawls.
• To develop and maintain excellent customer relationships with defined retailers through a customer ‘intimate’ approach. Must be able to explain difficult or sensitive information and be willing to step in & support more junior team members in this area.
• Liaise with current and new suppliers to source new ingredients.
• Responsible for ensuring your product meets the most up to date policy and brands standards for each relevant customer.
• Leading, coaching, developing and where relevant influences Snr Development Technologists in delivering the customer development plans and is accountable for their performance and results.
• Has overall accountability of the results and performance of their customer accounts with regards to NPD success and reaching targets/objectives.

This is a Fixed Term Contract opportunity to cover maternity leave and the working hours are full time (40 hours per week, Monday - Friday). The role will be based at our Blagdon HQ with regular visits to our Crewkerne site required as part of this role.

• Essential:
• Technical Skills – Expertise in product formulation & sensory analysis.
• Project Management – Experience in managing multiple product development projects simultaneously, with a focus on meeting deadlines and managing resources effectively.
• Knowledge of Ingredients – Strong understanding of the functional properties of yogurt, desserts & ice cream.
• Teamwork – Ability to work well with a collaborative, cross-functional team environment and lead in own area of expertise. Ability to encourage & lead within own team.
• Innovation Focus – Passion for staying ahead of trends & a desire to proactively explore innovative ingredients and product concepts.
• Problem solving – Excellent troubleshooting skills and ability to analyse complex technical challenges & implement solutions. Support & mentor team members to reach solutions.
• Communication – Excellent verbal & written communication skills with the ability to present ideas and data clearly to technical & non-technical stakeholders.
• Driver’s License – essential due to multi-site locations.
• Food qualification or previous food manufacturing or catering experience.
• Minimum 5 years of post-graduate experience in a food NPD role, preferably within dairy, desserts or ice cream. Ideally have some people management experience.

• Desirable Skills:
• Industry Knowledge: Strong knowledge of Brands, values & processes as adopted by the retailers.
• Business Acumen: Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify & maximise opportunities while minimising costs.

• Creativity, Flair & Data relevance – Strong creative mindset and an ability to transform data and trends into ideas which are fit for consumers today & tomorrow.
• Detail-Oriented – Meticulous attention to detail in both product development and documentation.
• Adaptability – Able to work in a fast-paced environment and adjust to changing priorities & project timelines. Resilience and supporting others is key.
• Analytical Thinker – strong, analytical skills, capable of interpreting data to guide decision-making processes.
• Tenacious & can do attitude.
• Self-driven with a growth mindset & can use initiative.
• Desire and ability to influence & drive change.
• Hands on & practical approach to working.
• Good IT skills - Microsoft and database systems.
• Influential - Ability to pull cross functional teams in one direction with right level of data and detail to make decisions.

We’re independent, British and proud to be making the highest quality yogurts, desserts and ice cream under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. Operating from four dairies and two logistics centres in Somerset and Devon, we employ over 1700 staff and produce more than 25% of the UK’s packaged yogurt.

We’re sure you don’t need convincing, but there’s a whole host of benefits that we offer including:

• competitive holiday allowance
• non-contributory pension scheme
• annual bonus (as part of the Employee Benefit Trust, based on company performance for the year)
• life cover
• healthcare cash back plan
• cycle to work scheme
• subsidised Yeo Valley products and services
• preferential rates with our partners
• learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to ensuring all of our employees have the chance to grow.

Our closing dates are a guide for when the application window should close, although we may close the advert sooner if we can. So, we recommend you get your application in straight away – and don’t miss the opportunity to join us!

Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide employment sponsorship to candidates at this moment in time.

Please note that Yeo Valley do not accept speculative agency applications; we will only accept applications from preferred suppliers that have been submitted to us via our recruitment portal at the point of instruction.